[2025 Audit] "Entertainment Before NIRS Fire Meeting"... President Lee's Actions Under Scrutiny

Opposition Criticizes President Lee’s Appearance on “Please Take Care of My Refrigerator” at Committee Audit
Ruling Party: “President Lee Responded Steadfastly to the Fire Incident”

On October 13, during the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee audit, President Lee Jaemyung’s actions before and after the meeting regarding the National Information Resources Service (NIRS) fire were brought into question.

Choi Sujin, a member of the People Power Party, asked Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyunghoon during the committee audit, “The Ministry of Science and ICT said the first presidential Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting was held at 5:30 p.m. on September 28. Do you think it was appropriate for the president to preside over the meeting 48 hours after the fire occurred?”

She further criticized that the meeting related to the NIRS was delayed because President Lee appeared on the JTBC entertainment program “Please Take Care of My Refrigerator.”

Yonhap News Agency

In response, Deputy Prime Minister Bae said, “The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on September 28 was originally planned to be chaired by the prime minister, but the president attended in person and gave overall instructions.”

Assemblywoman Choi continued, “The presidential office claims it received reports frequently on the night of the 26th, but there is no mention anywhere that necessary measures were ordered. It was only around 3 a.m. on September 29 that three directives were issued,” raising concerns.

Park Junghoon, another member of the People Power Party, also compared President Lee’s absence from public view until the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting, even amid a national disaster, to the controversy over former President Park Geunhye’s whereabouts during the Sewol ferry disaster.

Assemblyman Park said, “During the Sewol ferry incident, the presidential office explained former President Park’s whereabouts, but at the time, the opposition, including then Seongnam Mayor Lee Jaemyung, spread unverified stories. Now, President Lee is filming an entertainment show during a national disaster.”

Lee Junseok, leader of the Reform New Party, commented, “President Lee tends to push ahead forcefully with things he’s confident about. Even if not about the entertainment program, I am curious about what questions were raised during the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting at that time.”

Deputy Prime Minister Bae responded, “There is a disaster recovery (DR) system in Gwangju, and there was a focused review on why data redundancy at the private sector level was not established for each DR.”

Lee Junseok then asked, “That is just the current situation, but has there been any discussion about similar situations occurring due to wartime conditions or external intrusion?” Deputy Prime Minister Bae answered, “No such discussions have taken place.”

In contrast, the Democratic Party of Korea defended President Lee, stating that he responded to the fire incident unwaveringly as a national leader. Choi Minhee, the Democratic Party lawmaker and chair of the committee, said, “President Lee gave instructions to assess the situation immediately upon returning to the country on the 26th. The presidential office carefully considered other scheduled events during that period and trusted each ministry to proceed with their programs. I urge the Ministry of Science and ICT to come up with fundamental measures.”